Buhari Not Dodging, Says Campaign Team as PDP Insists on Debate

02 Feb 2015

Major-General Muhammadu Buhari

Chuks Okocha and Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja    

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Organisation has dismissed the claim by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that its presidential candidate, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari, had shied away from the presidential debate, preparatory to the elections in less than two weeks.

Despite the denial, the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation continued to badger Buhari on Sunday into taking up the challenge, stating with confidence that a presidential debate would afford its candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan, a platform to showcase his achievements in office.

The controversy over the presidential debate stemmed from APC’s refusal to participate in the debate organised by the Nigerian Elections Debate Group (NEDG) in conjunction with the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), with the opposition party accusing the organisers of bias and a hidden agenda.

However, two days after APC pulled out of the NEDG/BON-organised presidential debate, the party’s campaign organisation accepted in principle to participate in a debate organised by the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), ARISE Television and Channels Television.

PDP also formally accepted in writing to participate in the NPAN/Arise/Channels TV presidential debate, which is scheduled to take place at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja tomorrow.

In a statement on Sunday by the APC campaign spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, the party said its candidate would not shy away from explaining his policy plank on how to rebuild Nigeria, assuring the public that Buhari will make himself available for a debate and scrutiny like he had done in previous elections.

It added that Buhari would not hesitate to explore any opportunity to explain how he plans to rescue Nigeria from the abyss of insecurity, comatose economy, decaying infrastructure, massive unemployment and the poor public health situation into which the corrupt regime of the incumbent president has thrown it.

“What is the hullabaloo about Buhari not attending a debate organised by elements that have shown an unhidden bias towards his person, family, career and political interest?” Shehu queried.

“It is on record that the man (Buhari) had participated in previous presidential debates in 2007 and 2011, which PDP candidates did not attend.

“The APC and General Buhari have received several media invitations from different organisations and the party is still vetting the ones to attend due to time constraint and the motive of the organisers,” he said.

Taking a jab at Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, the spokesman of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Shehu dismissed the impression created by him that the boycott by Buhari of the BON-organised debate amounted to “shielding Buhari from an intellectual discourse” as the ranting of a man with deficit communications acumen and mastery of simple logic.

“The interpretation by the spokesman of the PDP campaign is a huge lie. Nigerians know Buhari as a man of high integrity and one that would not shy away from public scrutiny.

“He is the type that would declare his assets publicly, a no-go area for the sitting president who once said, ‘I don’t give a damn’ when challenged to do so in the past.

“Buhari has been to almost 32 states to explain his plans for the revival and resuscitation of our nation, and his endearing utterances have been aired to Nigerians who now support his cause en masse, unlike those who are losing party loyalists by the second,” Shehu stressed.

Despite APC’s statement, the PDP campaign team continued to challenge Buhari to a debate, stressing that it would go a long way in influencing undecided voters based on the arguments of candidates at the debate.

Fani-Kayode, who made the statement when he was confronted by journalists in Abuja yesterday, expressed confidence that while Jonathan would be speaking on his stewardship and the programmes he would unfold with a renewed mandate, Buhari, should he have a change of heart, would only be making empty promises.

He pointed out that a majority of Nigerians had already made up their minds to vote for Jonathan because “they have seen the efforts of this government and what has been going on for the last four years”.

According to him, “But for those that are yet to decide and perhaps for those who are leaning towards Buhari, if we have a live debate and everybody is allowed to speak his or her mind freely and fairly, I assure you that by the end of that exercise, General Buhari will be exposed for what he is and President Jonathan will be able to give the Nigerian people a glimpse of what he has to offer and also a good account of his record for the last four years.

“That is why the other side is running away.  So I think at the end of the exercise, after such a debate, whether APC-organised or whether organised by anybody else, President Jonathan will come out in flying colours while General Buhari will come out a very unhappy man.”

He reiterated his offer from the day before, calling on the APC to “organise the debate, fill the panel with friends, set the questions, give copies of the questions to their candidate before the debate and even prepare answers for him.
“They can do all that and not only will we still attend but we will also floor them.  We will make any concession in order to have the opportunity to debate with Buhari and show the Nigerian people how empty and shallow he (Buhari) really is.”
He continued: “We have stated our position loud and clear that our candidate is prepared to participate in any debate organised by anybody at anytime and anywhere in this country provided it is live and provided we have the opportunity to speak our mind in a free and fair manner.

“It is the other side that is running away from this challenge.  One wonders why.  We have absolute confidence in the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), and indeed, in anybody else to organise the debate.

“As a matter of fact, let me take this opportunity to throw the challenge to the APC and General Buhari: if it will make him feel more comfortable, let them organise the debate; let it be an APC-organised debate; let them have an APC panel; let them have questions that they will show their candidate even before we get there; we do not need to see the questions; let them give their candidate a preview of the questions; they can even have a prepared answer for their candidate to read if he finds it difficult to articulate his views and positions. We are prepared for all that.

“Let them have all those advantages and tell us about what they are going to do.  As long as it is a live debate, we will be prepared to go even to that debate; and even at that point, under those circumstances, we would floor General Buhari and the president will do an admirable job by letting the Nigerian people know precisely what he stands for and he will also expose General Buhari for what he is.

“So whatever the circumstances, we are rearing to go.  The challenge has been put to them and we are waiting for them to respond. Anywhere, anytime in this country, we are prepared to participate.  It is the other side that is running away.”
 http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/buhari-not-dodging-says-campaign-team-as-pdp-insists-on-debate/200758/